World boss
A world boss is a raid boss-level monster that appears in the main, shared game world rather than an instance limited to a certain number of players. They are also known as world raid bosses, outdoor bosses, or outdoor raid bosses. These bosses were designed to be fought by one or more raid-sized groups of max-level characters, although lower level characters may be brought along.
In original World of Warcraft. world bosses were an integral part of end game progression. Starting with Wrath of the Lich King, they became less and less integral to end game progression, and instead provide various weekly bonuses and catch up gear.
History
Azuregos and Lord Kazzak were added early in WoW. They promoted a large amount of both intraguild cooperation and interguild rivalry, as killing them required tracking their spawn, forming a raid, and beating the encounter while fending off the opposing faction. Their loot was also among the best at the time of their popularity.
Shortly before the opening of the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj, the four Dragons of Nightmare were created, and added an entire new round of world bosses. Even when their gear was no longer BiS they had valuable nature-resistant gear for the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj encounters that required it. They were also involved in the forging of the famous Scepter of the Shifting Sands by yielding the Green Scepter Shard.
As time passed, and Naxxramas came out without accompanying world raid bosses, the popularity of the original set of world raid bosses began to fade.
With the launch of The Burning Crusade, Highlord Kruul began to terrorize Azeroth, in place of Lord Kazzak. After the Burning Crusade came out, two new world raid bosses were introduced, Doom Lord Kazzak and Doomwalker. The popularity of the two was short-lived. After a couple of months, it became apparent that loot off of Karazhan was on par or better, while not having the concern of the opposing faction contesting the kill.
With patch 2.2, world bosses were often left unkilled for long periods of time. There were occasional guilds that used them as either practice for raiding, or undergeared guilds trying to gear up. But with the announcement by Community Manager Bornakk that they did not plan to add additional world raid bosses[1][2], world raid bosses ceased to be a core pillar of end game progression.
Blizzard did not add any world raid bosses for Wrath of the Lich King, seeming to be a sort of reprieve. Cataclysm introduced small group outdoor mini-bosses, before bringing world bosses back in Mists of Pandaria and each of them using the new personal loot system.
Since Legion, each patch usually introduces a new world boss that is available weekly with a respective world quest, which can provide a plethora of loot.
Since 
[WoW's 13th Anniversary], the Classic world bosses return each year for the duration of the event, along with their original loot, scaled up to be relevant rewards once again.
List
Azeroth
Akma'hat <Dirge of the Eternal Sands> 
Doom's Howl / 
The Lion's Roar 
Garr 
Ivus the Decayed / 
Ivus the Forest Lord 
Julak-Doom <The Eye of Zor> 
Mobus <The Crushing Tide> 
Prince Thunderaan <The Wind Seeker> 
- Whale Shark
Xariona 
Vuk'laz the Earthbreaker
Outland
Pandaria
- August Celestials
Nalak <The Storm Lord> 
Oondasta 
Ordos <Fire-God of the Yaungol> 
Salyis's Warband (Galleon) 
Sha of Anger 
Grand Empress Shek'zara
Draenor
Broken Isles
One Broken Isles boss spawns per week with an associated world quest, defeating most of them is required for 
[Unleashed Monstrosities]. The more powerful Broken Shore bosses each spawn with mutually-exclusive world quests that have a chance of happening each day. They are required for 
[Terrors of the Shore].
Invasion Points
Zandalar
Dunegorger Kraulok
Ji'arak
T'zane <The Soul Terror>
Kul Tiras
Nazjatar
Shadowlands
Mortanis
Nurgash Muckformed
Oranomonos the Everbranching
Valinor <The Light of Eons>
Mor'geth <Tormentor of the Damned>
Antros <Keeper of the Antecedents>
Events
Darkmoon Rabbit
Moonfang <Darkmoon Den Mother>
Removed
Azuregos- Abyssal High Council
Baron Kazum <Abyssal High Council>
Lord Skwol <Abyssal High Council>
High Marshal Whirlaxis <Abyssal High Council>
Prince Skaldrenox <Abyssal High Council>
- Dragons of Nightmare
Eranikus, Tyrant of the Dream
Highlord Kruul- Lord Kazzak
Maws
Lieutenant General Nokhor
Teremus the Devourer
Twilight Corrupter
Nathanos Blightcaller
- Removed from Public Test Realm
Dark Keeper Aedis (Argus)
Void-Blade Zedaat (Argus)
Sun King Nahkotep (Uldum)
Tashara (Vale of Eternal Blossoms)
Trivia
- During the Warlords of Draenor beta, Echidna was a world boss.
- There were other mobs initially shown in the database as ?? bosses in The Burning Crusade, including a rare spawn from a quest in Blade's Edge in which you can spawn a raid boss who flies away, but is unaggro-able. But currently it is accepted that there are 2 BC world raid bosses.
Patch changes
Patch 9.2.0 (2022-02-22): Antros added. - Patch 9.1.5 (2021-11-02): Doomwalker added for the anniversary event.
- Patch 9.1.0 (2021-06-29): Mor'geth added.
- Patch 9.0.2 (2020-11-17): Valinor, Mortanis, Oranomonos the Everbranching and Nurgash Muckformed added.
- Patch 9.0.1 (2020-10-13): Nathanos Blightcaller added. He lasted for the duration of Death Rising event, and was then removed.
- Patch 8.3.0 (2020-01-14): Grand Empress Shek'zara and Vuk'laz the Earthbreaker added.
- Patch 8.2.0 (2019-06-25): Ulmath and Wekemara added.
- Patch 8.1.0 (2018-12-11): Ivus the Forest Lord and Ivus the Decayed added.
- Patch 8.0.1 (2018-07-17): T'zane, Ji'arak, Hailstone Construct, Doom's Howl, The Lion's Roar, Azurethos, Warbringer Yenajz, Dunegorger Kraulok added.
Patch 7.3.0 (2017-08-29): Invasion Point added. - Patch 7.2.5 (2017-06-13): Dragons of Nightmare (Emeriss, Lethon, Taerar, Ysondre), Azuregos, and Lord Kazzak re-added for the anniversary event.
- Patch 7.2.0 (2017-03-28): Apocron, Brutallus, Malificus and Si'vash added.
- Patch 7.0.3 (2016-07-19): Ana-Mouz, Calamir, Drugon the Frostblood, Flotsam, Humongris, Nithogg, Levantus, Na'zak the Fiend, Shar'thos, The Soultakers and Withered J'im added.
Patch 6.2.0 (2015-06-23): Supreme Lord Kazzak added. - Patch 6.0.3 (2014-10-28): Drov the Ruiner, Tarlna the Ageless and Rukhmar added.
- Patch 5.4.0 (2013-09-10): August Celestials and Ordos added.
- Patch 5.2.0 (2013-03-05):
- Patch 5.0.4 (2012-08-28): Sha of Anger and Galleon (Salyis's Warband) added.
- Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): The Shattering removed all Azerothian world boss encounters except for Omen. One small-group "world boss" added in each of the five Cataclysm zones.
Patch 2.0.7 (2007-02-13): Omen added for the Lunar Festival. - Patch 2.0.3 (2007-01-09):
- Lord Kazzak replaced with Highlord Kruul. Kruul lasted for the duration of the opening of the Dark Portal and was then removed.
- Kazzak was retuned for level 70 players as Doom Lord Kazzak, now found in Hellfire Peninsula.
- Doomwalker added.
- Patch 1.8.0 (2005-10-10): Dragons of Nightmare (Emeriss, Lethon, Taerar, Ysondre) added.
- Patch 1.3.0 (2005-03-07): Azuregos and Lord Kazzak added.
References
- ^ Bornakk; Mehrunes 2009-03-09. New world bosses please. Archived from the original on 2009-03-09. Retrieved on 2013-12-30.
- ^ Bornakk; Burningmist 2009-04-24. World Bosses?. Archived from the original on 2009-04-24. Retrieved on 2013-12-30.
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